Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Stefan Elliott was the third-leading scorer for Saskatoon from his defense position in his third WHL season. He skated in all 72 games for the Blades, who finished with the WHL’s third-best record. Elliott scored 26 goals with 39 assists and was plus-41 with 24 penalty minutes. Elliott scored 6 of his 26 goals on the power play. In ten WHL playoff games he scored 3 goals with 5 assists and was plus-three with 4 penalty minutes.

2010-11: Elliott made his pro hockey debut, skating in five playoff games with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with Colorado in March 2011. He had two assists and was minus-three with the Monsters. In his fourth WHL season prior to signing with the Avalanche, Elliott captured the Bill Hunter Trophy as the WHL’s Top Defenseman and was named to the WHL East First All Star Team. He led the Saskatoon with a plus-62 plus/minus and scored 31 goals with 50 assists in 71 games. Saskatoon finished first in the East Division and reached the second round of the playoffs. Elliott was an even plus/minus with 3 goals and 5 assists in 10 playoff games.

2011-12: Elliott made an impressive NHL debut in November – registering points in his first three games – and was with the Avalanche through February before being returned to AHL Lake Erie to see more ice time. He was re-called by Colorado in late February and played six games before being sent back to the Monsters. In 39 NHL games with Colorado he scored 4 goals with 9 assists and was plus-2 with 8 penalty minutes. He scored 5 goals with 9 assists and was plus-5 with 4 penalty minutes in 30 AHL games with Lake Erie. The Monsters finished third in the North Division – missing the playoffs by two points.

2012-13: Elliott’s play hit a bit of a plateau in his second pro season as he appeared in just 18 games for the Avalanche – spending most of the year with AHL affiliate Lake Erie. He attended Colorado’s training camp following the NHL lockout but did not appear in a game for the Avalanche until February. Elliott scored 1 goal with 3 assists and was minus-3 with 2 penalty minutes; averaging 17:30 minutes of ice time. He played 44 AHL games for the Monsters and scored 5 goals with 8 assists and was minus-10 with 6 penalty minutes. Lake Erie finished third in the North Division but missed the AHL playoffs.

2013-14: Elliott scored a goal in his only NHL appearance with the Avalanche — a 3-2 overtime loss to Anaheim in the final regular season game of the year — spending most of the year with Colorado AHL affiliate Lake Erie. He led Lake Erie defensemen with 14 goals and had 14 assists in 61 AHL games, finishing minus-16 with 14 penalty minutes. Elliott scored four of his 14 goals on the Monsters’ power play. Lake Erie missed the AHL playoffs; finishing fourth in the North Division. Elliott was with the Avalanche during their first round series against Minnesota but did not see any action. He was re-signed by Colorado to a one-year contract as a restricted free agent in July 2014.

Talent Analysis

Elliott was at one point the Avalanche’s best puck-moving defense prospect. His fall down the ladder can be attributed to being leap frogged by Tyson Barrie. He is still the best puck mover in the Avalanche’s farm system and has the abilities to quarterback the power play. Elliott will need to work on his defensive game before he can be consistently relied upon in the NHL.

Future

Elliott attended camp with the Avalanche before being assigned to AHL affiliate Lake Erie to start the 2014-15 season. Now in his fourth pro season, Elliott was off to his best start offensively with the Monsters but his defensive play continues to be an area of concern. An exciting contributor for an Avalanche team that was in the second of what would be three straight non-playoff seasons when he made his 30-game debut with Colorado in 2011-12; Elliott has yet to gain the trust of the new regime and played in one NHL game last season. Now at a crossroads in his career, his skill level suggests he can be an effective defender and power play specialist at the NHL level but it is just as likely that he could be a career minor leaguer or highly-valued import for one of the club's in Europe.

Share this story

First overall draft pick Nathan MacKinnon may be getting all of the attention in Denver these days but Winnipeg native Calvin Pickard is silently working hard in the background and is looked to as the future of Avalanche goaltending.

Share this story

Photo: Colorado’s second overall pick in 2011, Gabriel Landeskog made an immediate impact in the lineup and was named the team’s captain in 2012 (courtesy of Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Colorado Avalanche have had quite a bit of turnover already in their off-season, first firing former Head Coach Joe Sacco, then hiring Patrick Roy to be their new bench boss and Vice President of Hockey Ops and promoting Joe Sakic to be their Executive Vice President of Hockey Ops. Roy and Sakic have joined the fray and will look to help the team improve upon their prospect base that has them sitting 29th in the NHL in that regard.

Share this story

Photo: After a long stint in Colorado in 2011-12, defenseman Stefan Elliott underachieved at the AHL level for most of his season with Lake Erie in 2012-13 (courtesy of Jimmy Simmons/Icon SMI)

Despite making the playoffs a few seasons ago, the Colorado Avalanche have been languishing the last few seasons, not fully able to cash in on the promise of their young players. Not only have they struggled on the ice, but they have struggled in the draft as well, lacking the organizational depth that makes the great teams truly great. All that aside, there are players in their system that have stood out a bit above the rest.

Share this story

Photo: Defenseman Tyson Barrie, who has skated in 20 NHL games with the Avalanche in 2012-13, moved into the top spot in Colorado’s mid-season Top 20 (courtesy of Dustin Bradford/Icon SMI)

The Colorado Avalanche are in a very unique position for their franchise. They have a bevy of young talent in their organization – if you look at their roster, the team does not have many players over the age of 28 playing in the NHL this season. The problem for Colorado is, the bulk of that young talent is already on their NHL roster, leaving the cupboard a bit bare behind them.